Martyrs of Minegarde
by Katamar
Summary: Set 20 years after Mercs of Minegarde. Kyle searches for clues to his father's abrupt death, and finds himself among new allies and enemies.
1. Mansion

The soft tapping of the rain on the rooftop was interrupted by a series of knocks at the door. Kait rose from her bed, grabbed a frying pan for protection, and went to answer the door. A man wearing a black hood stood dripping in the rain. Despite the intimidating and dark appearance, Kait recognized her son.

"Kyle! Get in here out of the rain." commanded Kait. The man stepped forward, and took his hood off, while his mother lit a lantern.

"Sorry to wake you Mother." said Kyle.

"It's no problem, Kyle. I haven't seen you in years." she replied. At this Kyle's subtle smile tuned to a frown, and he decided to examine the ground.

"You didn't come to chat, did you?" sighed Kait.

"I went to Junior's vacation home, Sarai's, and even a few guild hotels." started Kyle. "I heard about Junior's success, and came to congratulate him. I'm worried about him now, though. It's not like him to be gone this long."

Kait laughed at this, and smiled her beautiful smile. "Kyle. I know the world has been rough to you, but you shouldn't be so paranoid. I happen to know he's safe and sound. Him and those other hunters were invited to a manor in Schrade."

"Any idea when he'll be back?"

"No, but I imagine it'll be a while. I saw the guild's carriage leave just this afternoon." replied Kait. Kyle's eyes glanced up.

"I'll let you get to sleep. I promise to visit after I speak with Junior." Kyle said. Kait hugged him, and then Kyle disappeared into the wet darkness.

"Let's go" ordered Kyle. "Get me to Schrade, as fast as possible."

"Of course, nya!" replied the felyne cabby. The chubby cat cracked his whip across the large plate atop an apceros. The beast released a low yell, and then began dragging the one-man carriage south-east.

The coach sped along the rocky road at speeds that made Kyle sick. He was now more than ever thankful for the existence of felynes. Without their keen night-time vision, Kyle was certain that they would be a puddle at the bottom of some cliff. Although the rain had cleared, the road was still wet, and very dangerous. Kyle tried not to think of this, fearing motion sickness would overwhelm him. Finally, the road leveled out, as they had reached the base of the mountain range Urbanius was built on.

"Only a couple miles to Schrade, nya!" shouted the chubby driver. Kyle sighed in relief, and began examining his equipment. Something inside him believed that he would need to be prepared for a rough night. He had a few flash bombs, which he always carried with him incase of a velociprey ambush. He had a sufficient supply of whetstones. They were months old, given that his beautiful blade rarely dulled.

At last he examined his katana. It was made of bones and fangs, and had a slight pink tint, where blood stains were unsuccessfully removed. The blade was given to him in his father's will, and Kyle kept its name and blue velociprey scale sheathe.

The katana was originally called 'wolf', being made of the pack traveling velociprey. Kyle's father, Katamar, and his friend Trevor upgraded it with piscine fangs, and called it "shark". After even more upgrading, Katamar gave it to Trevor, and he named it "dragon". Katamar received the blade after Trevor's mysterious death, and used it in the Great Lao Shan Lung Battle.

This battle held a dark significance to Kyle. Not only was Kyle on the front lines, but he was just a boy. He saw many soldiers die, and his mentor paralyzed for life. However none of that mattered much to Kyle. What sickened him was the thought of how it ended. What his father did to Haman, an experienced militiaman, tortured Kyle, but not as much as failing to forgive him for the deed. Kyle resumed his focus and continued examining his blade, now called "Supremacy".

Within minutes the simple carriage arrived within the town of Schrade. The town was dark and dreary at day, but even worse at night. Being near the volcanic region, the sky was always covered with black smoke, which could not travel northwards due to the mountain ranges of Urbanius. The result was an external appearance that perfectly matched the inner spirit of the city.

Schrade was an economic marvel. No city in Minegarde was as wealthy, but likewise no city was as corrupt. Politicians performed illegal activities daily, and because everything in Schrade was based on money, were able to pay their way out of trouble. But although white collar crime was popular, most people feared Schrade's sinister underworld. Thugs, murders, hoodlums, gamblers, and rioters seemed to rule the lower class, in the same way corrupt businessmen and politicians ruled the upper class. The city wasn't all bad, however. You could get high quality goods for low prices legitimately, and Schrades fashion experts were the best in all of Minegarde.

Kyle hated the city with a passion. He knew the hunter's guild had headquarters here, and although there was no proof, he knew they had to be crooked. The guild was a towering financial figure in Schrade, and all big money in Schrade was crooked, no exceptions. Despite his despise, Kyle exited his carriage, and entered a popular tavern.

"Good'ay bartender!" chirped Kyle, faking a smile. "I'm looking for a friend of mine, took a carriage to a mansion on the outskirts. Seen him?"

The bar tender examined Kyle, then responded. "I've been advised by the guild not to talk to you, ever since your little tangent in their Hall up in Urbanius."

"Ah, so you know who I am. If that's the case, you probably know that I'm looking for a guild owned manor, as well."

"I don't know anything." grunted the bartender, who turned to pour some beer for another patron.

Kyle grabbed the bartender's hand across the bar, and inserted a small coin. The bartender examined it, and his eyes widened in excitement.

"500 zenni?!" he gasped. Kyle motioned him to be silent, and then the bartender whispered to Kyle. He told him the location of a manor, in which a aptonoth-driven guild carriage was heading towards.

Kyle nodded his thanks, then left the tavern. The manor was supposedly only a few miles east of Schrade's southern tower, which wasn't too far. Kyle decided a cab was unnecessary, and began walking southeast. It was almost dawn as the mansion entered Kyle's vision.

"Only a few miles. Hah! Incompetent bartender." Kyle mumbled under his breath, as he knocked on the main door. He was a bit surprised the main gate was open, but it didn't stop him. Kyle waited for at least a few minutes, knocking every now and then. Noone came to the door. This troubled Kyle, who knew that even an empty mansion had a butler to greet misinformed guests.

Kyle went to knock again, when he finally realized that the lk on the door had been broken. Wasting no time, Kyle bashed the door in. He was now standing in the main room. At first, Kyle wasn't sure what to do. The room was completely empty, and not even the sound of busy staff could be heard. Then he noticed the wet patterns in the carpet, almost looking like footprints. It was raining last night, Kyle remembered, and some intruder must have left the footprints. Then a terrible thought struck Kyle. What if he was too late. If the rain was last night, then the intruders would be long gone by now. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Kyle followed the footprints.

He ended up in a large room, full of targets and dummies. Kyle assumed it was a sort of practice room. The air was thick, almost foggy, and had some faint foul smell. Kyle noticed a piece of debris, and went to examine it.

"Smoke bombs..." he muttered, realizing the debris was actually shrapnel from one of the devices. He searched further, and found casing from tranquilizers and poison shots. The only thing he couldn't find to prove conflict were bodies. "What on earth happened here?" he muttered again, convinced the munitions weren't part of a practice session.

"Sir! Over here, nya!" screamed a small voice. Kyle rushed towards the creature that made the sound. A small felyne, obviously a disciple of Treshi, was nursing an injured paw behind one of the dummies.

"What happened? Do you need medical attention?" inquired Kyle

"Me, no. I'm fine. Helen though, she needs help." he said, pointing to a limp figure in a corner. Kyle frowned, realizing he was too late to help the dead maid.

"What happened?!" Kyle changed the subject.

"I heard Helen scream, and I came here." said the felyne.

"And...?"

"There were three men. There hats were almost like chapeaus, but I couldn't see their faces. There was just too much smoke."

Kyle's eyes widened at this familiar description. "What kind of weapons were they weilding."

The felyne rubbed his whiskers, trying to recall the traumatic event. "I only saw one's, but it looked like an ordinary umbrella."

Kyle cursed rather loudly upon hearing this, and the felyne jumped back a bit. "I'll send for help, but I need to leave now!"

Trenya tried to follow Kyle out of the manor, but was unable to keep up given his injured paw, and the hunter disappeared as abruptly as he had vanished. Kyle couldn't waste time, he had to get to Junior before he, and likely the other hunter's met a terrible fate. The frantic hunter darted toward the city gates, and immediately flagged down the first cab.

"What can I do ya for?" asked a large man, driving a carriage with two aptonoths, and an apceros in the lead.

"Take me to the industrial district. I'll pay triple if I'm there before I realize I left." ordered Kyle, as he entered the back seat of the large carriage. In seconds the carriage was gone. Kyle rechecked his equipment, knowing that the industrial district held secret headquarters for the guild, and that they wouldn't be happy to see him.


	2. Prisoners

"Thanks for the lift. "said Kyle as he exited the cab.

"Don't mention it." laughed the ugly cabby, as he admired the zenni piece Kyle gave him.

"I'm glad you're enjoying that. Now go get help, and not the hunter's guild knights. Get Shcrade authorities, and take them to that manor I told you about." ordered Kyle. ", and then I'll double those zenni."

"Yeah, yeah... I'm on it."

Kyle nodded his thanks, and the cab driver spun his vehicle around and raced off toward the nearest Schrade guard post. Kyle turned to face the industrial district. Tall factories scrapped the dim sky, blocking out the little amount of sun that was beginning to shine. There was approximately an hour before it'd be daylight, Kyle judged, and he would want to be finished by then.

Two large buildings stood only a few feet apart, creating a narrow alleyway. Kyle slipped into the dark path, and moved north. Finally he emerged from the black alley, and stood facing a huge structure. A nearby signpost said "Hunter's Guild Office Headquarters."

"Offices... yeah right." grunted Kyle. He knew that this place had more than offices. Sure, the upper floors were full of offices, but the building had a basement. The basement was rumored to be for storage, if it was acknowledged at all. Kyle knew the truth. The basement was a prison for war criminals, at least it was supposed to be. Kyle had suspected a darker purpose, however he dismissed this as paranoia. That was before today of course.

Kyle wrapped his oversized cloak around his armor. He stood a good chance on gaining legit entry into the building, as long as they didn't notice he wasn't a guild knight. Luckily for Kyle, it had been raining earlier, and thus the cloak wouldn't be suspicious. His real ticket however, was a dark parasol that had been confiscated from the scene of his father's death.

The incognito hunter approached the front door, as well as two heavily armed guards. One of them wore a Maelstrom across his back, and the other had a large metal lance as well as an oversized shield. Kyle knew this game, so he just kept walking toward the door paying them no mind. Kyle knew they'd stop him, but he also knew that they'd be just a bit more cautious in case they were dealing with a superior officer.

"Hey, we need to check your ID... sir..." mumbled the Maelstrom wielding guard. The last word almost made Kyle laugh. It seemed he already had won. However, to be sure Kyle prepared to use his Ace in the Hole

"We're not gonna tell you again, or else Rampart here'll tear you up." urged the other guard, who was patting his lance. At this, Kyle turned toward the lancer slightly, letting his hand slip out of his cloak. The two guards gasped, as a dark parasol shimmered slightly before being reconcealed in Kyle's cloak.

"Um.. Sorry sir! Just go about your business, no one will stop you again I promise!" said the guard with Rampart. Kyle chuckled, as if to sound condescending, and then entered the building.

The inside was in stark contrast to Schrade itself. It was well lit by lanterns scattered every few feet. Blue shades covered each one, adding a slight azure hue to the bright room. Both the hallway leading straight ahead, and the one that branched to his right followed this color scheme. The only thing that stood apart was a concrete door at the end of the hall to the right. Kyle figured its purpose was more security than cosmetics, and thus would likely be the place to start.

Kyle walked down the hall. Doors were scattered alongside the walls, each leading to an office. It was early, so they were all empty, but they'd fill within the hour. Finally, he reached the concrete door. It was locked, but nothing 'Supremacy' couldn't handle. Finally, after shattering the lock and moving the titanic door, he was met with the opposite of the hall behind him.

What lie before him was a poorly lit stairwell. There was no color in the walls, and the little light there was came from open flames mounted scarcely along the walls. Kyle paid no mind to the dreary appearance, choosing instead to creep silently down the stairs.

Eventually he reached the bottom, and was met by another concrete door. This door was unlocked, but Kyle still had to strain to move its girth. On the other side was a hallway that closely matched the stairwells light and color scheme. Kyle peered his head into the hallway to examine it. He had to strain to see anything in the darkness, but he was able to make out a patrolling guard disappear around a corner. Kyle took the brief moment to move out into the hallway. He went to door after door, all of them empty. Finally he reached the second to last door before the corner.

Trevor Jr. sat shivering in a poorly lit cell. The guard that was patrolling outside left again, but it didn't matter. The door was locked, and he was bound. There was no escape. Then he heard a soft tap at the door, followed by a series of clicks. Finally there was a loud ring, and then the heavy door began sliding open. An almost inhumanly shaped figure entered the room. Almost a silhouette in the dim light, the man closed in on Jr.

"Junior? " whispered the eerie man, in an oddly familiar voice.

"Kyle?" replied Junior. The dark man nodded, then removed his hood. "You've no idea how glad I am to see you!" exclaimed Junior.

"We need to be quiet." hushed Kyle. "Now lets get out of here."

"Not yet. My pals are trapped here too." protested Jr.

"Pals?" inquired Kyle. "The people who helped fend of Kushala Daora?"

"The same."

Kyle scratched his chin at this. Why was the hunter's guild kidnaping monster hunters? Kyle brushed his thoughts aside, and rededicated his focus to the matters at hand. "Let's get them out then."

"I think I heard the guards mention something about Katto downstairs. Unfortunately, I've no idea where May and Gordon are, or even if they're alive." explained Junior. The names meant nothing to Kyle.

Quietly, the pair stepped out of the cell into the dim hall. After carefully rounding the corner where Kyle witnessed the guard patrolling, the duo was met by a broad, shallow staircase.

"Down there." whispered Junior, and he started to move.

"Wait!" ordered Kyle. "You hear that?" There were numerous sets of footprints, and even light talking.

"Yeah... sounds like company."

Kyle inched past Junior, careful not to be seen or heard, until he could better see the source of the noise. "Look's like a shift change or something." said Kyle. He could make out one man leaving a well lit cell, and two more people entering it. He also noticed that the patrolling guard was near this cell, making his way toward the staircase.

"I think your pal may be in that one." Kyle said, gesturing toward the well lit cell. "I have an idea." he added."

Katto looked up as two people entered his brightly lit cell. One of them was male, the other female, and they both were wearing guild clothing.

"Malcolm said we got to have a bit of fun, so you're going to play with us." snickered the man.

"Malcolm?" Katto muttered, completely ignored by the two interrogators that were now busy sorting threw a box of small blades and torture devices. Sweat dripped down Katto's cheek, as Edward pulled out a rusty pair of pliers. The man crept toward him, clamping and releasing the handles with a menacing smirk on his face. The man was about to try out the device of Katto, when he was interrupted by a loud crash.

Edward looked up at Anna with a puzzled face. "Go out and investigate!" she barked.

"Fine!" grunted Edward. He hated taking orders from an equal, but he wasn't about to argue in front of a dangerous captive. He exited his bright cell, into the dark hall. Straight ahead, in front of a broad staircase, lay a metal clad guard. Not wanting to waste time, Edward ran straight to the downed man. He was unconscious, but still alive. Edward lifted his head, and was about to try and wake him, when he heard a soft whistle. He quickly spun to see two dark figures standing over him. Before Edward could react, one figure drew back his arm, and from his dark cloak shot a shiny metal hand, which collided with Edwards face.

"Nice punch!" said Junior, watching the man hit the floor, not to get up anytime soon.

"You'd be surprised how hard some steel and Rathalos scales can hurt." joked Kyle, something he didn't do often. "Now let's take out that other one. Hopefully we'll find this May and Gordon, too"

With that the two rushed into the bright cell. Two people looked up at them with puzzled looks. One a female with a small surgical tool, and the other an injured man tied to a chair. The plan had been for Junior to tackle the other guard, while Kyle destroyed whatever restraints we're on the captive. However, Junior didn't expect a female, and was unable to bring himself to take her out. Kyle didn't have this problem, and he quickly punched her in the gut with his metallic fist.

"You're lucky she was as confused as you. Otherwise, you'd be dead." glowered Kyle, as the female guard doubled over onto the floor. Junior just stared at the floor, as Kyle finished untying the man.

"Hopefully you're Katto, or we just wasted a lot of time." chirped Kyle.

"That's me." replied Katto, "and thanks for the rescue!"

"Don't thank us yet. We need to rescue your other pals, and you're gonna help." said Kyle.

Katto nodded, and the trio entered the dim hallway. There weren't any other cells on this floor, so the trio headed back upstairs. There were numerous cells on this floor, and Kyle hadn't checked any of them before rescuing Jr. Quickly and quietly the group searched each cell. Finally, they found the two lost hunters. Both we're in the two cells closest to the ascending staircase from which Kyle entered the dungeon.

"I've got a terrible headache." complained Gordon. May just groaned.

"We'll take care of it later. Right now we need to move." ordered Kyle. Together the five snuck up the narrow winding staircase. Kyle ordered them to hold back, as he opened the door at the top. Seeing noone in the calm office building, he motioned for his friends. Together the group managed to sneak out of the building unseen.

"Now for the tricky part." sighed Kyle, gesturing toward the bridge.

"How'd you get passed 'em on the way in?" questioned Junior.

"I convinced the buffoons I was they're superior." chuckled Kyle.

"Hmm... that gives me an idea." chimed Katto.

The two guards were arguing about which was better between a lance and a bowgun, as Kyle boldly approached, holding a tied up Katto. Kyle and his prisoner managed to walk around them, and even get a few feet before the guards stopped arguing and ordered him to halt. Kyle slowly turned and faced the guards.

"I thought we've established that I'm allowed here." grinned Kyle.

"Yeah, but we need to check your prisoner!" grunted the gunner.

"Fair enough." said Kyle. He then began to approach them. The lancer laid down his weapon, and stepped forward to check Katto.

"Now!" yelled Kyle. Immediately Junior, Gordon, and May jumped the gunner, easily taking him down. The lancer turned to help, but before he could reach his comrade, two silver hands wrapped around him. The man behind him was strong, but not strong enough to restrain him for long. Unfortunately for the guard, the man didn't need long, as his "prisoner" quickly stepped in front of the two, lifted the guards helmet, and clocked him in the face.

"Good work!" exclaimed Katto.

"Was a good plan." replied Kyle. Katto nodded in thanks to the compliment. "Now lets get out of here!"

The group followed Kyle through a maze of dark alleys, until he stopped at a major street. The hunter let out a whistle, and within seconds a cab with two aptonoths and an apceros parked adjacent to the group.

"You remember the deal?" inquired the cab driver.

"Of course. You?" replied Kyle. At this the driver reached back and opened the door. Inside was a felyne with a sore paw.

"Trenya?" asked May.

"May! And Junior. And Gordon. And Katto!" exclaimed the cat.

"Get in the cab!" ordered Kyle. The group obeyed readily, and Kyle turned back to the driver. "Good job. You'll get your zenni when we get to the address I gave you."

"Deal." said the driver. Kyle hopped in to the overly cramped taxi, and barely had time to close the door before it sped out of Schrade and onto the rocky road to Urbanius.

"Were we going?" asked Junior.

"Kait's." replied Kyle."We'll be able to get medical treatment there, without attracting attention."

"Lighten up on the paranoia, Kyle, there's no reason to think the infirmaries aren't safe." sighed Junior.

"I know, but I just have a feeling the fewer people who know I'm in Urbanius the better." countered Kyle. Junior just sighed. Within a few hours the cab stopped at Kait's house.

"Here's the money I promised." said Kyle, as he tossed the driver a considerable amount of zenni. The driver sped off again, and the group, now six large, followed Kyle as he approached the house.

Kait was eating breakfast when a loud knock interrupted her. She opened the door to see her son, Junior, and three others and a felyne she didn't recognize.

"Mother. We're in some trouble. Can we come in?" questioned Kyle.


End file.
